Referencing in itself is an important skill, a fact that is made all the more relevant as more content is published in the public domain via the Internet. For students, this means that no longer is referencing that annoying mark lost in a final assignment; it is a legal and an ethical obligation when you publish to the web.
Deputy Prime Minister Julie Bishop faced accusations of plagiarism in 2008
Plagiarism occurs when somebody produces something that is not their own creative or intellectual product. The worst kind of plagiarism is when someone directly copies some else's work and passes it off as their own. In high school, this can result in no marks being awared for the task. When the stakes are higher, plagiarism can destroy a career and can most definitely tarnish a reputation.
Deputy Prime Minister Julie Bishop was embroiled in a plagiarism scandal in 2008, and the impact on her reputation was significant. Whether or not she was actually guilty is irrelevant; the mere suggestion of plagiarism in high-stakes academic and commercial circles can do irreparable damage to one's reputation.[2]
Copyright refers to the right of individuals and companies to control the distribution of their intellectual property. Essentially, musicians, film makers, authors and other producers have the right determine how their product is distributed and to rightfully profit from it. It is for this reason that students must be careful how they use materials in their work that are subject to copyright. There are concessions for students under various agreements and legislation and these should be discussed at all levels of learning in the school.
The answer to this is actually quite simple. If you are using work not created by you, then you must attribute it. Information that is common knowledge, such as "Kevin Rudd is the Prime Minister of Australia", does not need referencing. Information that is the result of somebody's creative or intellectual effort must be attributed. That includes images, quotes, tables, paraphrasing and video used in all tasks.
At Mazenod, you may be asked to create work to be published online. This work will then be in the public domain and must observe the conventions of referencing.
This isn't simply good practice, you actually get higher marks for referencing as it shows that you used a variety of sources to develop your work.
In lower-school, referencing will typically involve produce a bibliography. In upper-school, however, you should develop your in-text referencing skills. This simply means putting the author and year of the text in brackets at the point where you are attributing their work.
Example:
According to Jones (1991), cricket is will not last long into the future.
Some have argued that cricket will not last into the future (Jones, 1991).
A Bibliography is a list of resources that you have used to complete your assignment. It is important to acknowledge the source of your information and not claim other people’s work as your own.
The list is presented in alphabetical order using the author’s surname. It may include different types of resources from books to the Internet.
A bibliography has a set format for recording each reference and it is important to use the right format for each resource.
There are many formats for writing a bibliography. Below is the method used at Mazenod College based on the APA (American Psychological Association) system.
To download a copy of the guide below, click here.
Formats for different sources
Books
Author’s surname, first name or initials (full stop)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)
Title of book. (underlined OR in italics) (full stop)
Place of publication: (colon) name of publisher. (full stop)
Allport, J. (1998). The nature of politics. Ringwood: Penguin.
Banks, P.A. & Oliver, P. (1999). Family planning in Australia. Liverpool: University Press.
Books (Edited)
Editor’s surname, first name or initials (full stop). (ed.) (in brackets)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)
Title of book. (underlined OR in italics) (full stop)
Place of publication: (colon) Name of Publisher (full stop)
Morgan, J. (ed.) (1993). How to be a successful author. Ringwood: Penguin Books.
Journals and Magazines
Author’s surname, first name or initials. (full stop)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)l
Title of article. (full stop)
Title of journal. (underlined OR italics) (full stop)
Volume, number, month/season, (comma)
Page numbers of article. (full stop)
Dewhirst, C. (2004, January 14). Hot air ballooning above the Himalayas. New Scientist, 1147(114), 18-19.
Newspapers
Author’s surname, initials. (full stop)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)
Title of article. (full stop)
Title of newspaper. (underlined OR in italics)
(full stop)
Date of publication, (comma)
page numbers of article. (full stop)
Stein, T. (2004, January 14). Local prices leave bad taste. The West Australian, 23.
Encyclopaedia Articles
Title of article. (full stop)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)
Title of encyclopedia (underlined or in italics) (full stop).
Volume number (comma) page number (in brackets) (full stop)
Place of Publication: (colon)
Name of publisher (full stop).
Chocolate. (1996). In The world book encyclopedia.(Vol. 3, p. 75). Chicago:World Book Inc.
CD ROM
Author’s surname, initials. (full stop)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)
Title of article. (full stop)
Title of CD ROM. (underlined or in italics) (full stop)
[CD ROM]. [in square brackets] (full stop)
Place of publication: (colon) publisher (full stop)
Bloggs, J. (2001). Animal liberation. Microsoft Encarta [CD Rom]. New York: Microsoft.
World Wide Web
Author’s surname, initials. (full stop)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)
Title of article.(underlined or italics) (full stop)
Series title. (full stop) Series number. (full stop)
Title. (underlined or italics) (full stop)
Year. (in brackets) (full stop)
Place of publication: (colon) Publisher. (full stop)
Date of transmission, (comma)
Medium:Format [in square brackets] (full stop)
Early mathematical experiences [Film]. (2004). State of play series, 7. London: BBC.
Interview
Interviewee’s name, (comma) and initials (full stop)
Date of interview. (full stop)
Title of interview. (underlined or in italics) (full stop). Interviewer’s name. (full stop)
[video or sound recording, duration of interview]. In square brackets] (full stop)
Place of interview. (full stop)
Paling, W. August 2003. Early College Days. Interviewed by John Smith. [Sound recording 1 x 60 min.] Mazenod College Library, Lesmurdie, W.A.
McNeil, L. February 1987, Perth in the 1890’s, Interviewed by Michael Lawrence [video recording 5 min.] Alexander Library, Perth.
Brochure/Pamphlet(no author given)
Treat brochures as books. Indicate type of publication in square brackets after the title. When publisher the same as the author, write Author as the name of the publisher.
Title. (underlined or in italics) (full stop)
Year. (full stop)
[Pamphlet] in square brackets (full stop)
Place of publication and publisher if known. (full stop)
Recycling of solvent wastes.(1990). [Pamphlet]. East Perth: Environmental Health Branch, Health Department of Western Australia,
Table of Contents
Referencing in itself is an important skill, a fact that is made all the more relevant as more content is published in the public domain via the Internet. For students, this means that no longer is referencing that annoying mark lost in a final assignment; it is a legal and an ethical obligation when you publish to the web.
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism occurs when somebody produces something that is not their own creative or intellectual product. The worst kind of plagiarism is when someone directly copies some else's work and passes it off as their own. In high school, this can result in no marks being awared for the task. When the stakes are higher, plagiarism can destroy a career and can most definitely tarnish a reputation.
Deputy Prime Minister Julie Bishop was embroiled in a plagiarism scandal in 2008, and the impact on her reputation was significant. Whether or not she was actually guilty is irrelevant; the mere suggestion of plagiarism in high-stakes academic and commercial circles can do irreparable damage to one's reputation.[2]
Back to top
Copyright
Copyright refers to the right of individuals and companies to control the distribution of their intellectual property. Essentially, musicians, film makers, authors and other producers have the right determine how their product is distributed and to rightfully profit from it. It is for this reason that students must be careful how they use materials in their work that are subject to copyright. There are concessions for students under various agreements and legislation and these should be discussed at all levels of learning in the school.
Back to top
When should I reference?
The answer to this is actually quite simple. If you are using work not created by you, then you must attribute it. Information that is common knowledge, such as "Kevin Rudd is the Prime Minister of Australia", does not need referencing. Information that is the result of somebody's creative or intellectual effort must be attributed. That includes images, quotes, tables, paraphrasing and video used in all tasks.
At Mazenod, you may be asked to create work to be published online. This work will then be in the public domain and must observe the conventions of referencing.
This isn't simply good practice, you actually get higher marks for referencing as it shows that you used a variety of sources to develop your work.
In lower-school, referencing will typically involve produce a bibliography. In upper-school, however, you should develop your in-text referencing skills. This simply means putting the author and year of the text in brackets at the point where you are attributing their work.
Example:
When in doubt: reference.
Back to top
How to write a bibliography
To download a copy of the guide below, click here.
Formats for different sources
Books
Banks, P.A. & Oliver, P. (1999). Family planning in Australia. Liverpool: University Press.
Books (Edited)
Journals and Magazines
Newspapers
(full stop)
page numbers of article. (full stop)
Encyclopaedia Articles
Name of publisher (full stop).
CD ROM
World Wide Web
World Wide Web (no author)
Film, Video or TV Show
Interview
McNeil, L. February 1987, Perth in the 1890’s, Interviewed by Michael Lawrence [video recording 5 min.] Alexander Library, Perth.
Brochure/Pamphlet(no author given)
Treat brochures as books. Indicate type of publication in square brackets after the title. When publisher the same as the author, write Author as the name of the publisher.
Back to top